Dump-box for dump-wagons.



W. A. UNDERHILL.

DUMP BOX FOR DUMP WAGONS.

APPLICATION man nmao. 1914.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

THE COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

WALTER UNDERHILL, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

DUMP-BOX non nUMP-wAeoNs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 18, 1916.

Original application filed January 23, 1912, Serial No. 672,879. Divided and this application filed December To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IV ALTER A. UNDER- HILL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Auburn, in the county of Gayuga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dump-Boxes for Dump-Wagons, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in dump boxes for dump wagons having swinging bottom doors meeting or overlapping at or near the longitudinal center of the box, and refers more particularly to means for causing one door to close in ad vance of the other so that they may overlap to form a tight joint. These doors are preferably controlled by chains or cables running lengthwise thereunder at opposite sides of and substantially parallel with their meeting or overlapping edges and having their front ends attached to a suitable winding drum and their rear ends suitably connected to the rear end of the box.

The main object is toutilize portions of the chains or cables to effect the closing of the doors one in advance of thelother Without the use of extra means commonly known as an equalizer, but at the same time performing the function of such equalizer.

In other words, I have sought to simplify the mechanism by which the doors may be closed one in advance of the other by a continued operation of the drum.

Another object is to provide the cables with means for limiting the lateral swinging of the doors to prevent their contact with the wheels in the act of dumping the load. A

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description. 9

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of bottom doors and winding drum in which the front end of one of the under-running cables where it is wound upon the drum is made up of larger links than the corresponding end of the other cable to cause the corresponding door to close with greater rapidity and slightly in advance of the other door. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same cables and portion of the same drum, the doors being shown by dotted lines in their open position. Fig. 3 is a rear end view of a dump box and door operating cables shown in Serial No. 879,707.

Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail elevation of a portion of one of the cables showing the limitingstop for "preventing excessive'outward swinging of one of the doors.

This is a divisional application of my former application, Serial No. 67 2,87 9, filed Jan. 23,1912, and allowed May 9, 1914, and refers to means for opening and closing the bottom doors -2 and 2 of a dump box as used in connection with a dump wagon, the main body of the dump box being omitted to show more clearly the bottom doors. These doors run lengthwise of the box and are hinged at 3 and 3-, respectively, to suitable straps i which in turn are adapted to be secured to the sides of the box. The combined length and width of the doors is sufficient to effectively close the bottom of the box, said doors being preferably of uniform width and their free edges are adapted to meet and to overlap one upon the other along the longitudinal center of said box, the overlapping edges being shown at 1.

The opening and closing of the doors is controlled by suitable chains or cables -15 and 15, extending lengthwise of and under the doors preferably near their meetmg edges and guided in suitable ways 7- on the under side of the doors, the rear ends of the cables being extended upwardly at the rear ends of the doors and partially across the adjacent end of the box, and are preferably connected and passed over a stationary sheave 6- which is rigidly secured to the rear end of the box some distance above the plane of the doors when the latter are closed.

The upper face of the sheave 6 is preferably circular and grooved to receive the connecting portion of the chain and to allow such connecting portion to have a limited sliding movement therein to take up the lag of the last closing door when the first closing door is brought firmly against the bottom of the box, but this relative movement of the chain upon the sheave is limited by suitable stops 9- secured to the chains for engaging opposite ends of the sheave 6-, the object of saidstops being to prevent excessive opening of either door with relation to the other door, or

rather to cause the doors'to maintain operative relation to each other in all positions .of adjustment, since it is evident that if the chain were free to slide over the sheave without any limitations when the doors were released from thelr closed positions, a load on one doorgreater than that on the other i might cause that door to be full open while the other door would only be partially open. The front ends of the chains are attached to a suitable drum 5 which be journaled in any well known manner upon the front ends of the sides of the box in front of the .mainbody and is providedat one end with a ratchet wheel a adapted to be engaged by a pawl 6-,- on an operating lever c, the latter being loosely mounted upon the adjacent end of the shaft or drum -5,

so that when rocked in one direction as indi-- cated by arrow f, itwill wind the ends of the chain on the drum. 7 7 7 It will be observed that the inner longi larger than those on thecorresponding end of the chain 15-, whereby when the chains are wound upon the drum 5, the

door -2- will be opened and closed with greater rapidity than the door 2-, and

will close in advance of the last named door as shown more clearly in Fig. 3.

Since the door 1 2 is brought to its closed position by the winding of the chain upon the drum, the continued rotation of the drum will cause the chain 15 to be drawn forwardly under the corresponding door 2, thereby sliding the connecting portions of'the chain over the sheave 6 until the door 2 is tightly closed. During this latter operation the stop pin 9 on the chain -15- is drawn farther away from the adjacent end of the sheave 6 while the stop on the chain 15" is drawn closer to the corresponding end of said sheave.

On the other-hand, when it is desired to dump the load by releasing the drum 5- the door 2 will be the first to open and will, therefore, restore the stops 9- to their starting positions as shown in Fig. 3,

after which both doors will continue to open under the weight of the load to discharge the same. I The doors may be held in their closed position by any suitable means which will prevent rotation of the drum -5 to unwind the cables. I p

The main function of the stops 9 cooperating withthe guide 6- is to limit the outward swinging movement of the doors 7 Copies 0! this patentlmay be obtained for when opened by the weight of the load to prevent their striking and interlocking with the wheels since it is evident that without such limitation when the doors were released from their closed position a load on one door greater than that on the other might cause thatr door to be full, open while the other door-would only be partially open and the full open door might under such condition strike and become interlocked. with the adjacent wheel or wheels and ,thus stall the vehicle.

What I claimis:

. 1. In combination with the bottom doors .box for supporting the rear ends of the cables, a drum at the front end or" the box for winding the corresponding ends of the cables thereon, the portion of one of the cables which is wound on the drum being considerably larger than the corresponding portionof the other cable to cause its door to close in advance ofthe other door.

2. In combination with the bottom doors of a dump box, one of the doors'having its inner longitudinal edge overlapping upon the adjacent edge oftheother door, means for controlling the operation of said doors comprising cables running lengthwise under for winding the corresponding ends of the cables thereon, the portion of oneof the cables, a drum at the front end of the box for winding the adjacent ends of the cables thereon, the portion of one of the cables which is wound upon the drum consisting of links of considerably greater size than the corresponding portion of the other cable which is wound upon the drum to cause the corresponding door to close first.

3. In combination with thebottom doors of a dump box, means for controlling the operation of said doors comprising cables running lengthwisethereunder, a flexible connection for the rear ends of the cables, a

stationary sheave supporting said connection and permitting the same to slide thereon, stops on the rear ends of the cables co-acting with the sheave to limit such sliding 'movement, and a drum at the front end of the box for winding the adjacent ends of the cables thereon, the portion of one of the cables which is Wound on the drum being relatively larger than the corresponding portion of the other cable to cause its door to close in advance of the other door.v

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of December 1914.

WALTER A. UN DERI-IILL. Witnesses.

D. N. PINCKNEY, L. ATHERLY.

five cents each, by addressi m commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

